The present invention is generally directed to shredders and, more specifically, to a safety feature(s) for shredders.
Conventional shredders can have three operating modes. The first operating mode is an “off” mode in which the shredder blades are deactivated and no shredding of material can take place. The second operating mode is an “on” mode in which the shredder blades continually rotate to shred any material inserted into the shredder. The third operating mode is an “automatic” mode in which the shredder blades are automatically activated when the shredder detects that material is being inserted into the shredder. The “automatic” mode is advantageous in that material can be sporadically shredded without having to continually turn the shredder on and off. This makes it easy to open mail and immediately shred those items which are unneeded and may contain personal information.
However, the use of shredders in “automatic” mode can be problematic. The shredder can unintentionally be left in “automatic” mode after all shredding is completed since the lack of noise generated from shredder blade movement may result in a user forgetting that the shredder is not off. A shredder left in “automatic” mode for an extended period of time can present a safety hazard to the original or new users who are unaware that the shredder is only waiting to detect the insertion of material therein to activate its shredder blades. This can result in fingers or clothing being positioned near or inside the shredder slot while the shredder is not off which may lead to serious injury. The problem is further exacerbated when little children approach an unmonitored shredder left in “automatic” mode. Children are more prone to insertion of clothing and/or body parts into a shredder slot and are very likely to believe that the shredder is off. The impact of shredder blades on a young child can be devastating.
Safety hazards are also present in those shredders operating in “on” mode. These problems result from the shredder's ability to be left in “on” mode while unattended. This also creates a hazard to which children are especially susceptible.
It would be advantageous to provide a shredder that provides increased safety for users and others that come into contact with the shredder.